KEY POINTS:
The makers of the latest X-Men movie have moved explosives stored in the Queenstown Fun Centre after the centre's landlord, the district council, got upset.
Fox Studios had approval from the Department of Labour to store explosives but the use of the building for this purpose violates the lease with owner Queenstown Lakes District Council, Radio New Zealand reported.
"A member of the public made us aware of it first. We've raised it with the film crew and they've immediately removed the explosives," council chief executive Duncan Field told NZPA.
However, he didn't know where the explosives were now.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the fourth movie in the series, is scheduled for release in America in May 2009.
Details of the film's timetable and shooting locations have been the subject of speculation. Locations are expected to include Queenstown, Deerpark Heights, Skippers Canyon, Glenorchy and Milford Sound.
The use of the centre has already been controversial. Local ice hockey players will have to practise elsewhere for up to three months because the production team is using the centre.
The rink has been dried out while the building is used for storage and doesn't typically operate in summer.
"We would not normally grant the right to use this building for storage but the fun centre, which has always struggled financially, came to us and said `look we have this offer"'.
So council consented to the short-term sublet.
"I don't think anybody anticipated that explosives were going to be stored there. I think someone in the film crew had a bright idea and it turned out to be the wrong one," Mr Field said.
- NZPA
